Technopark, Techies, and their Economics..!!

The rapid expansion of Technopark in Trivandrum has rapidly changed the entire human ecology of the capital and its suburbs.Â So far no serious studies have been undertaken to analyze the social and economic effect this IT hub has created. With 30,000 odd IT employees concentrated at one place and its economic flow has surely, to a small extent, altered the city from a rural nature to semi urban and from there to the process of urbanization. Huge concrete structures called as flats (applicable to all its definitions) came up everywhere and there has been surplus demand since a long period.

Land prices sky rocketed and the urban and suburban poor are being compelled to utilize the windfall either for good or to meet their worst. Prices of common commodities followed through and families have forgotten about frugal living. These provided the most fertile ground for the private educational institutions and they milk the maximum understanding Techno Park is the sacred of all cows. And in the name of this IT hub a rosy picture is being generated now and then by vested people having economic interests and they are in competition with mafias not only to become rich but also to be worse than them in all attributes of mankind.

But what is the reality? How many out of 30000 employees have the currency with them to occupy 35 Lakhs plus costing flats?Â How much flock around supermarkets to buy things at fancy prices? How many can afford the fees of various private educational establishments plus extra money for private tuitions since they know nothing serious transpires at those schools? How many can foolishly exchange their good old cars for something new metallic coated plastic items, if loans are not available at exorbitant interest?Â Everybody inside the park knows it would be less than 5% of the employees!!Â Then the explanation that the urbanization is the result of tie wearing people moving around Kazhakuttom is absolutely nonsensical.Â An outsider traveling on a bus passing through the bypass may think all the monstrous flats are fully occupied by technocrats and round the clock they keep on communicating with counter techies at New Jersey or Adelaide and as a result more Volvo buses move in and out of Techno Park. Most flats in the city are booked or occupied by ordinary government servants of whom many have magic pan cards in which numbers disappear or new ones appear at will.

Among the people around Kazhakuttom who have benefited from Techno park are those renter class who rented out their apartments or rooms ranging from Rs 950 to 9000,and those auto wallahsÂ everÂ ready to transport a techie who holds a mobile in hand hasÂ no time to look into auto meters.Â Kazahkootam has undergone this massive change due to the hard work being done by all patriotic mafias aided and supported by all government agencies. But the entire credentials are bestowed on techies forgetting the hard working elements behind!!!

As a result where ever techies go prices rise.Â A BPO employee who goes in search of a rented house gets shocked when the landlord demands Rs 5000 for a single room apartment or concrete apparatus. Another techie gets mesmerized by the way which his colleague is compelled to purchase water logging land at 6 lacks per cent!!!Â Â Another one is struggling to sell off his flat which he purchased after appreciating the fluency of the marketing agent. These are only the tip of icebergs. The real lives of most of techies are yet to be understood by many outside and, tragically, more by many inside. Many are yet to understand the term â€œdisposable incomeâ€™ so they fail toÂ Â flock around where the minority of techies visit frequently. But many sacrifice a lot to send their children to big schools thinking their children should not suffer the way they suffer now. This is the grim reality of most techies working at Techno Park. Who sees tears when they swim in the sea of all troubles? It is high time the techies had stood united against all unscrupulous elements gain by exploitingÂ in the name of techno park asÂ some call it as â€˜knowledge capitalâ€™ Entertaining the brokers ,real-estate agents ,school owners , salesmen, etc, should be done only after taking into consideration the economic status of the entire employees working inside the park.Â Â Otherwiseâ€¦â€¦

I fully agree wit the views expressed here .Most employees including drivers, security staff ,some bpo staff cannot be compred with highly paid employees there.Many are coming from middle class who have many concerns back at home

manish

very very valid points and I totally agree with you. Everybody says people working in technopark is earning high. but in reality how many of them are really earning high?

If you look in to a govt employee, he is earning many fold than any ordinary techie, because of the Paycheck by govt, and Bribery they are getting everyday. an ordinary clerk or helper is getting more than 1000 in many offices in the city.

Actually most of the apartments are owned by NRIs, only less than 5% of them are owned by the people working in technopark.

Ramshackles

Finally a realistic article and not a dreamy one praising the techies for their spending power.

Sangeeth

People blame tchnopark for price rise.but it is not true.Organised crime inthe city has a major role in it .crome means corruption, comissions , flesh trade etc

sandeep unni

kazhakootam is an example how mafia operates .Sand is the main businees.

http://blog.ninethsense.com/ PraVeeN

Really appreciate the points projected in article.

House & building owners including brokers are the main benefiters now. Unfortunately people from outside Kerala are ready to rent out or buy any thing made of cement. People usualy compare the price with the ones in their state which affects negatively for the Keralite people.

Directly these land/rent prices affects the commodity prices which increases the cost-of-living. Only few of the CXO/Management level employees stay near technopark because they earn much and their commuting facilities are good.

nikhil

Good article and very valid points. The land owners and brokers are the main reasons behind the price hike. agreed. but what about the big Flat builders?

Trivandrum is the most expensive place in kerala for buying an apartment. No apartment is available less than 35Lakhs. Builders are asking like anything, but still don’t know why. Trivandrum is less average place in terms of infrastructure and facilities compared to another city in kerala itself – Cohin.

If you compare the prices in cochin or even in bangalore, you can realize that the prices they are asking in trivandrum is unrealistic. When the builders are asking more, the places nearby will be hyped and the land lords will ask more. thus the more will asked by the house owners for rental, and the chain continues.

I still remember, a few years back, people from north kerala, cochin, malappuram etc, came in trivandrum in big luxury cars and buying the land for the prices which is much much above the market rate. when the prices where less than 1 lakh, those people came and bought the land for more than 2.5Lakh or close to 3. then the neighboring people started asking more… that was the begining. Many people were suspected the land mafia and blackmoney investment in that, and that time the ‘Container money’ came to kerala.

Whenever there is a hype, there is a illegal activity. The land mafia and blackmoney people invested a lot in lands across kerala, especially in cochin and trivandrum. and the majority of properties are also owned by them or their binamies.

Poor technopark people are really suffering in between. everybody is blaming them, but in fact, they are only average people still dreaming to buy a house for 25Lakhs or even less.

Sangeeth

“Among the people around Kazhakuttom who have benefited from Techno park are those renter class who rented out their apartments or rooms ranging from Rs 950 to 9000,and those auto wallahs ever ready to transport a techie who holds a mobile in hand has no time to look into auto meters. Kazahkootam has undergone this massive change due to the hard work being done by all patriotic mafias aided and supported by all government agencies. But the entire credentials are bestowed on techies forgetting the hard working elements behind!!!”
Superb Satire-What more to say Everything in it

Anish

Really.. a superb work.. The truth revealed…

bright

I totally agree. At last glad to see an article which sees the truth the way it is. The fact is, the hype on land prices, real estate, flats and basic commodities has raised the cost of living to unreasonable levels, due to the immense buying power of non resident keralites, at least in Kochi. This malaise has no doubt spread to Trivandrum. It’s a fact that the average techie guy cannot buy those overpriced flats anytime in his lifetime. The way the local people look at you, it is clear that it is the money they are after. Plain and clear.

Kumar

In Cochin some of the bars are totally dependent on the IT people, In the young age they are getting a really big amount as salary and most of the people do not have any job in the office, they just bla bla bla and do some ms office work and just sit and look each other and in the evening they take more than 1000 to home. If he is an expert in bla bla bla and buttering he will end up in US or UK and he will get double salary, one from his company and other from onsite. IT field is a really stupid thing, hundreds of people just bluffing on some silly things, really funny. The funny thing of IT company is it is a multi tier of lazy people, each tier is to make the lower tier work but in most of the case it will be a total chaos. This people actually takes huge amount as “NOKKU KOOLI” when compared to the citu people.

I apprecite many coming forward and commneting on this serious issue,Usually we had seen discussions on simple issues which had not much social concerns .this is a real topic which we all should ponder further and find remedies.

moncy

Good article, it really shows what is happening now a days.

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Another TP Slave

People from out side read the big board outside the main gate which reads ‘Technopark! Harmony at Work’ but its we who know that ‘Technopark! No Money at work!!’

Jayasree

MONEY HAR JAYAGA

baiju

Most of the technopark people are drawing the salary equal or less than a govt employee.

Govt employees even a sweeper is getting more benifits than an average technopark employee. here technopark people are working 8-12 hours in a day, and spending most of their money for food ( if you are having your food within the campus, you are dead..) and rentals and other facilities.

Techies doent have any overtime payment, or they dont have a union to tell their woes.

A govt employee may get all these benifits along with the KIMBALAM, which would be many times of his salary.

So, in the name of techies, others people are getting benefited and enjoyed.

hanif m Kasim

This article has had its impact on some circles.Recently, some techies were able to bring down the rent of an apartment that was highly charged. We should prove we are not fools

jaylal

it is found that the apartment rentals in trivandrum is same or more than the rentals in metros and developed cities. in what ground the owners are asking such rents, still unclear.

Ramesh

The comments are not 100 % true. Why the house owner charge more in TVM has got another reason too. The cost of construction is very high here. 1000 sqft house cost atleast 20 lakh + Land Cost. After spending 30-40 lakh to construct a small house , if any wise techies expect it get it a rent of 2000 or 3000 rupees. Then he can only imagine. The house owner is not doing any charity for techies. If he put that money in bank , he can easily fetch 30 thousand ruppes per month.
REMEMBER THIS TOO DEAR ALL POOR TECHIES !!!!!!